Veterans Day, November 11th, originally marked the
armistice to end World War I, which took effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918
(November 11, 1918). It was thus originally called Armistice Day.

In
Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand it is now called Remembrance Day, and all of the fallen military personnel of those
countries are honored.

In the United States it's now called Veterans
Day and honors all veterans, alive or deceased.

On March 4th, 1865, about
six weeks prior to his assassination, President Abraham Lincoln concluded his inaugural address with an exhortation to, among
other things, care for the veterans:

"With malice toward
none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work
we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan,
to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations."

Meeting its obligations to our veterans, especially those who have been wounded in the service
of our country, is one of the responsibilities of our federal government. These obligations should be honored regardless
of the economic and budgetary decisions which might be made. Hopefully, all political factions can agree on that.

Many veterans now reside outside of the United States. According to the U.S. Department
of Veteran Affairs' website:

"Some U.S. military
Veterans may live outside of the United States after their discharge from the military. This might include Veterans working
at American embassies and consulates abroad, those who work for multi-national companies, or those who do so by choice for
family reasons. Regardless of your particular circumstances, most VA benefits are payable regardless of your place of residence
or nationality. The application process and receipt of benefits may differ somewhat from Veterans who live within the United
States."

Mexico has the biggest contingent
of Americans residing outside the U.S.A., and there are veterans among them.

In fact, according to Veterans Today, "Mexico is the number one retirement destination for U.S. Veterans
outside of the USA by far with the vast majority living in the greater Guadalajara area, specifically in Ajijic on Lake Chapala."

The American Legion, a U.S. veterans' organization, has 12 posts (local chapters) in
Mexico.

In a 2008 column on the Banderas News website, entitled
Retired Veterans Choosing Puerto Vallarta, U.S. Marine Vietnam veteran David Lord describes his own experience traveling from
Puerto Vallarta to the U.S. border by car:

"I usually
drive from Puerto Vallarta to Laredo where I cross the border, it takes twenty hours over greatly improved roads. I pass through
the four [Mexican] military check points without incident, I see the military soldiers searching the big rigs and small trucks
alike, even passenger cars get searched, and on occasion I am asked to step out and allow the soldiers to review the interior
of my car."

While passing through such checkpoints,
Lord does not hide the fact that he's a U.S. veteran. In fact, he has made it known and has received good results
for having done so:

"I usually make the fact known that
I am retired military or a veteran and show one of my ID cards, this always brings a degree of respect and courtesy into the
process. The Viet Nam Veteran is always given a special respect as most of the Mexican Military know the war from movies,
so never hesitate to show even your V.A. card, it is as close as you get to a free pass card, even if you have little Spanish
speaking ability."

I thought that was interesting about
the ID card and the reaction to it.

Happy Veterans Day to all U.S. military veterans wherever they may reside!

NOTE: I was a guest on Silvio Canto, Jr.'s CantoTalk show.
We discussed obesity and Coca-Cola in Mexico, the state of Michoacan, the Mexican oil monopoly PEMEX, and the latest border
tunnel. You can listen to the interview here.